The Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand (FFANZ) are very pleased to announce that the race for Melbourne has been won, and we are excited to have Lynelle Howell as our new delegate.

Lynelle has been a tireless champion of the New Zealand science fiction community for many years, and now she will be heading to Melbourne in 2017 to meet and greet with Australian fandom and share her knowledge and enthusiasm across the ditch.

Thanks to everyone who voted for Lynelle, and to all those who have otherwise supported or signal-boosted the fan funds. It is much appreciated.

If you would like to help in our mission to promote New Zealand and Australian fandom and writing and continue to strengthen the bonds between our communities, please contact the fund administrators, Dan Rabarts in New Zealand or David McDonald in Australia, to see how you can help.

We’re always open to donations which can be auctioned at cons, or any other creative means of raising funds and raising awareness and keeping good things happening. We can both be found on Facebook or Twitter.

This year’s FFANZ race is a westward bound one, facilitating travel by a New Zealand fan to the 56th Australian Speculative Fiction National Convention, Continuum XIII – Triskaidekaphilia, to be held in Melbourne, Victoria, over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, 9th-12th June, 2017.

Dan Rabarts has published his FFANZ trip report for his trip to Continuum X last year. The trip report is a key component of the Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand administrator and it is also one of the core ways money is raised to keep these fan funds running. You can donate to to the fan fund on Dan’s trip report page and receive the report on epub, mobi and pdf formats for your reading preference convenience.

We are inviting delegates who would like to attend the NZ Natcon, Reconnaissance to be held in Rororua in NZ’s north island over Easter (3-6 April, 2015.) to apply now. (Applications close on 2nd November!)

If you are thinking of being the FFANZ delegate, here are the details:

Candidates should file
-a brief letter stating their intent to run for FFANZ 2015

– A nominator and a seconder, preferably a nominator from Australia and a seconder from New Zealand.

·- A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2014 FFANZ delegate.

with rabarts@gmail.com for New Zealand fans and celestialcobbler@hotmail.com for Australian fans BY 2nd NOVEMBER, 2014
The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:

· Travel to New Zealand to attend Reconnaissance, to be held in Rotorua, NZ over Easter, 3rd – 6th April, 2015.

Visit and get to know as many New Zealand Science Fiction fans as time will permit.
Become the Australian FFANZ administrator until a replacement administrator is found, normally this happens when the administrator role is handed over to the succeeding NZ-bound delegate (in 2017 if a race is run every year).

Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next Aus delegate(s) in 2016.
Promote connections between Australian and New Zealand fandom by a trip report or other means.

Send required documents to;
rabarts@gmail.com for New Zealand fans
celestialcobbler@hotmail.com for Australian fans

Nominations are now open for the 2013 Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand (FFANZ). FFANZ in 2013 will send one New Zealand science fiction fan from New Zealand to the 2013 Australian Natcon, Conflux 9 in Canberra from 25-28 April.

Prospective candidates will have until February 10th 2013 to file the documents required to have one’s name placed in nomination and added to the ballot.

The ballots will be published and distributed in late February, and voting will run from February 28th – March 12.

Candidates should file the following documents:

A brief letter stating one’s intent to run for FFANZ 2013.

A nominator and a seconder, preferably a nominator from New Zealand and a seconder from Australia.

A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2013 FFANZ delegate.

The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:

Travel to Australia and attend Conflux 9, the 52nd Australian Natcon, in Canberra from 25-28 April.

Visit and get to know as many Australian Science Fiction fans as time will permit.

Become the New Zealand FFANZ administrator until a replacement administrator is found, normally this happens when the administrator role is handed over to the succeeding Aussie-bound delegate (in 2015 if a race is run every year).

Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next NZ delegate(s) in 2015.

Promote connections between Australian and New Zealand fandom by a trip report or other means.